Mumbai’s batting tradition is unique in the country’s cricketing lore, deriving its edge from, among other things, the khadoos approach (which loosely translates to grumpy or stubborn).
It's drilled into batsmen right at the relentlessly competitive junior-cricket level that selling one’s wicket cheaply is sacrilegious. It’s through this grind that Mumbai’s finest emerge, endowed with the wherewithal to bat long, really long.
Armaan Jaffer (15) and Sarfaraz Khan (16) are among the most talked-about junior cricketers from Mumbai. In 2009, Sarfaraz broke the Harris Shield inter-school record in Mumbai, scoring 439. The very next year, Armaan, his schoolmate at Rizvi Springfield, claimed the record for the highest individual score in Indian school cricket, smashing 498 in the Giles Shield. His record has since been broken by Prithvi Shaw (546), also from Rizvi. Last year, Armaan emerged the best batsman in the Vijay Merchant Trophy and found a place among Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy probables.
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Sarfaraz had a good outing in the under-19 World Cup earlier this year. The Hindu caught up with the duo, recently in the city with the Mumbai side for the Buchi Babu all-India tournament. Both are coached by their respective fathers. “Daddy is a little strict,” says Sarfaraz. “But, the hard-work in practice makes matches easier for me.”
Sarfaraz’s father, Naushad, is originally from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, and is credited with discoveries such as Iqbal Abdulla and Kamran Khan. Sarfaraz’s training schedule involves several grueling hours at Azad Maidan. “Watching Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was hugely motivating,” he says.
Sarfaraz is also made to do drills that aren’t necessarily rooted in convention. “I do Yoga. I also light a candle and practice seeing in the night.”
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Armaan, who is former India opener Wasim Jaffer’s nephew, says batting time comes with playing in Mumbai. “There are fewer limited-overs matches in Mumbai. We play a lot of three-day or four-day games as school kids.”
As we ask for his contact number, we are a touch surprised to find out he doesn’t own a phone. He gives us his father Kalim’s number instead.
Speaking from Mumbai, Kalim says gadgets are “more than enough” to cause distraction. “Once you are on Facebook or Whatsapp, so many people come in contact with you and your focus is gone. Even Wasim didn’t own a mobile phone till he played for India.”
Armaan, who still lives in a chawl in Bandra Reclamation, says his family has had to sacrifice a lot. “My mother doesn’t get much sleep as she has to wake up early and finish the chores before the water stops coming. Financially, though, things are better now.”
Ask Sarfaraz and Armaan about missing out on a normal childhood, the former replies: “Kuch paane ke liye kuch khona padta hai” (To achieve something, you need to sacrifice something in return).
The two of them nurse ambitions of making it big for Mumbai and India. Given their pedigree, there aren’t many reasons why one would bet against that.